Reflecting on Settle Stories’ work, achievements and challenges in 2024/25, it is clear that the Charity is continuing to make significant progress with its change programmes:
● We are increasingly well known for the quality of our digital as well as face to face programme delivery.
● In 2024 we again delivered a successful Yorkshire Festival of Story (YFOS), with in person and online events.
● We have continued to develop our base, the Joinery, so that it can become a niche venue in terms of
digital and broadcast capacity, and local and online programme delivery.
● We have completed our second year as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, in the knowledge that our funding package to support our core costs (originally for four years until March 27) is now extended until March 2028
The full detail of our work in the last financial year is given in the various sections of this Trustees’ report. From another successful YFOS, masterclasses, community based activities, the further development of Storyful Way, the continued strengthening of our international links, to broadcasting real time international events and discussions in local schools - I believe that Settle Stories continues to be really well placed to continue to grow its programmes and audiences, and help enrich people’s lives through the power of storytelling.
We would like to restate our thanks to all our funding organisations and individual funders without whom Settle Stories would not exist.
● Arts Council England
● Paul Hamlyn Foundation
● North Yorkshire Council
● National Lottery Heritage Fund.
● British Council
Finally I would like to thank the Settle Stories Staff Team (including all volunteers) and my fellow Trustees for all their hard work in strengthening the range and quality of the charity’s products, and for delivering and supporting another successful year with high quality cultural programmes. Through their combined commitment, the Charity continues to develop ever more creative ways of strengthening Settle Stories’ position within Craven and far beyond.
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)".
Policies and objectives
Settle Stories is a pioneering arts charity that harnesses the transformative power of storytelling to build bridges, break down barriers, and create a more inclusive, compassionate world. Based in the Yorkshire Dales, we challenge perceptions of rural arts production whilst maintaining our mission to "change lives through story."
In every classroom reached, every artist supported, every story heard, we are proving a simple truth: story is not a supplement. It's the essence. One story, one listener, one act of imagination at a time, we are creating a gentler, more curious, more courageous world.
Strategies for achieving objectives
Our Vision
A world where storytelling transforms how we learn, connect, and belong — with every voice empowered to shape our shared future.
Our Mission
We help people discover their voice, connect with others, and transform their world through powerful storytelling experiences that blend ancient wisdom with modern innovation.
Key Products & Services
● Stories for Schools: Digital library of 159 professionally crafted video stories with curriculum-aligned resources
● Storyversity: World's first online learning platform dedicated to storytelling mastery
● Events Programme: Bringing together voices from across the world in person, hybrid and digital
Aims
● Create socially relevant, narrative-driven art across diverse media.
● Inspire learning and creativity in children and young people through storytelling.
● Foster connection and collaboration within our rural community and beyond, both in-person and online.
● Empower people to share their stories, deepening self-understanding and cultural expression.
Values
● Be open and inclusive
● Encourage curiosity
● Be the best you can be
● Be our objectives mindful
● Think creatively
Activities undertaken to achieve objectives
Settle Stories has developed a range of well established artistic programmes and events to deliver its objectives. It also continues to develop, test and refine newer programmes, especially in terms of its schools programme.
Yorkshire Festival of Story (YFOS);
The 2024 theme was: ‘“How can stories promote action towards a kinder, more sustainable, and inclusive future?”
● 35 artists performed from 1-10 November 2024, in a range of media, both in-person and livestreamed.
Yorkshire Festival of Story had a wide programme of activities to suit all audiences.
● The audience for Yorkshire Festival of Story was global, coming from six continents.
● There were 72 events (six in person), delivered through a range of partnerships.
● The Children’s Story Competition was judged by Alex Falase-Koya
● Total Attendance – 8906, 28% of which were from outside the UK
Stories for Schools
In March 2025, we launched Stories for Schools. This flagship programme delivers high-quality storytelling and curriculum-linked video content to schools and homeschoolers. By the end of the financial year, we had reached 107 school settings. The site now hosts 159 videos, with 63 more in production. The platform also includes CPD materials and special resources to support themed days such as Diwali, Remembrance Day, Africa Day, Black History Month, and others.
Highlights included:
- Launch event and first CPD training for teachers
- International interest including discussions with the British Council, Pakistan and Ghana
- Feedback from pilot phase used to refine delivery
Artist Development
We have run a range of workshops and masterclasses, including:
● Monthly Settle Writers Group.
● Creative Writing.
● Launch of new courses on Storyversity, including 'The Storyteller’s Business Blueprint'
● Promotion of Storyversity through university partnerships
● And further sets of Your Art is your Business workshops with Cumbria Arts and Culture Network and North Yorkshire Council.
Digital Development
The Charity continues to develop its digital skills and capacity so that it can reach new and wider audiences, and remove barriers to participation. This includes investing in smarter technology for internal operations as well as audience facing platforms.
We continue to invest in the latest broadcast technology at the Joinery, which will enable us to improve our delivery of hybrid events, and to make the Joinery itself a niche venue in Craven.
The Storyful Way
The Storyful Way combines storytelling, mindfulness and creative activities to support emotional wellbeing in schools. This year, The Storyful Way programme demonstrated measurable success in supporting children's emotional development across 11 schools and 195 pupils aged 9-11. Our rigorous evaluation, using validated assessment tools including the Stirling Wellbeing Scale and Children's VIA Scale, revealed statistically significant improvements in seven key areas compared to non-participating comparator groups.
Children who experienced The Storyful Way showed statistically meaningful gains in fairness, social intelligence, love and connection, bravery, perspective, and overall emotional wellbeing. The programme consistently outperformed control groups across multiple measures of emotional development and positive emotional states.
Parents and teachers consistently reported children sharing programme stories at home, using breathing techniques during stressful moments, and demonstrating more thoughtful emotional responses. The evaluation confirms that The Storyful Way is not merely engaging entertainment but a transformational intervention that equips children with practical emotional tools for life.
This evidence-based approach positions The Storyful Way as a scalable, impactful solution for supporting children's mental health in educational settings nationwide.
We are adapting the Stories for Schools website to incorporate Storyful Way content.
Public benefit
In setting objectives and planning for activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to general guidance published by the Charity Commission relating to public benefit, including the guidance 'Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)'.
Main achievements of the charity
● 2024/25 proved to be another good year for Settle Stories. We continued to build on the lessons learned during the pandemic, on the experience the team has gained in terms of digital delivery, and on emerging opportunities as we build on the post covid period.
● 2024/25 was also significant in terms of developing the thinking behind Stories for Schools, building production and delivery expertise, developing the back catalogue, relevant partnerships, and exploring funding opportunities.
● We had another successful Yorkshire Festival of Story.
● We have secured funding from the British Council and have just started a project called Lost and Found, working with Msitu Wa Ndoto in Kenya. The project focuses on storytelling, arts and cultural heritage, and centres on the Panga ya Saidi cave complex, the site of the world’s oldest known human burial, dating back 78,000 years. In a first for Kenya, it will be livestreamed globally.
● The Charity has also reviewed its staffing and organisational structures, taking advantage of natural churn and staff rationalisation to bring in new skills and develop a more agile workforce to help the organisation to deliver its existing and developing programmes.
The charity had income for the year of £404,463 (2024: £277,331).
The charity had expenditure for the year of £344,945 (2024: £283,606).
The charity had unrestricted funds to carry forward of £41,846.
The charity had restricted funds to carry forward of £75,969.
The charity had designated funds to carry forward of £42,800.
Going concern.
After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the accounting policies.
Fundraising.
The fundraising (and financial climate generally) remains very challenging – especially for smaller charities, and our successes have again been fewer in 2024/25.
Reserves policy
The Trustees aim to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level which equates to approximately three months of non-project specific expenditure. The Trustees consider that this level will provide sufficient funds to respond to applications for grants and ensure that support and governance costs are covered.
The operating costs for Settle Stories are currently running £15,445 per month before recharges, and £11,500 per month after salary and overhead recharges to projects.
The trustees have established a reserves policy, being the amount of reserves needed to sustain the charity, set as equivalent to 3 months on non-project expenditure. This is quantified as £42,800 and is currently the organisation’s designated funds. The current reserve level of £84,646 is in excess of this, the reserve level is therefore sufficient and does not present any concerns from a going concern perspective.
The reserves policy for Settle Stories is reviewed annually at the AGM.
Constitution
Settle Stories Limited is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee without share capital.
Methods of appointment or election of Trustees
The management of the charity is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Policies adopted for the induction and training of Trustees
A governance review was carried out internally in 2022, and identified future training needs for Trustees and also skills gaps amongst the current Board. Work is ongoing to recruit new Trustees with fundraising, education and artistic practice skills and experience.
The Board is supported by a Finance committee, a Digital committee, and a Remuneration Committee (which meets annually to consider salaries and other employee related issues).
● To enable the Charity to develop its key products (especially Stories for Schools) the focus on product development and refinement (rather than actual sales) has been maintained to ensure we are in the best position when we relaunch the service offer.
● There have been changes in the staffing structure and the establishment, partly to reflect the emphasis on product development , but also to support business continuity and a more agile approach to skills development.
● We have created two new Trainee posts, a Trainee Executive Assistant (to which we have appointed Jess Cowie) and a Trainee PR and Marketing Assistant (to which we have appointed Mollie Parker).
● We continue to work with with 97 volunteers, across roles including illustration, animation, business consultancy and education. Volunteers contributed between 25–70 hours each. We maintained productive partnerships with Lancaster University, South Wales University, and Virtual Internships.
● develop new skills at the same time as providing additional capacity for the Charity.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Settle Stories Limited for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Settle Stories Limited (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000, the independent examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Settle Stories Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Settle Stories, The Joinery, Dawson's Court, Market Place, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 9ED, England.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Grants received
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The remuneration of key management personnel was as follows:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation supported Storyful a programme for schools using story for well-being.
National Lottery Heritage Fund supported the George Horner project.
The British Council supported Lost and Forgotten our collaboration with Msitu Wa Ndoto in Kenya.
The Spark Fund supported Stories for Schools.
Transfers in the year represent unrestricted funds used to cover over-spends on restricted projects.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).